Kyle Larson wins third NASCAR Cup championship and second in a row

Kyle Larson clinched his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championship and third overall with a fourth-place finish in the first stage of Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.Larson earned seven points for the finish and will earn another for finishing the race, ensuring there was no path for contenders Christopher Bell (third in the first stage) and Denny Hamlin (fifth) to catch him."We got it," crew chief Cliff Daniels radioed to Larson. "It's over.""OK," Larson responded. "That's cool. Good job, guys"Team owner Rick Hendrick celebrated with Daniels and other crew members atop the pit box for the No. 5 Chevrolet.The Elk Grove, California, native joined Tony Stewart, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Joey Logano, Lee Petty and Darrell Waltrip as drivers with three championships in NACAR's premier series. All but Logano (who remains active like Larson) is in the NACAR Hall of Fame.Larson became the third Hendrick Motorsports driver with at least three championships, joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (four titles) and Jimmie Johnson (seven). At 34, he also is the third-youngest three-time champion in NASCAR history behind Gordon and Johnson.Seven-time champions Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty are the other drivers in NASCA history with more than three titles.Hendrick Motorsports has a record 16 Cup championships among a record five drivers: Johnson (2006-10, ‘13, ‘16), Gordon (1995, ‘97-98, 2001), Larson (2021, ‘25-26), Chase Elliott (2020) and Terry Labonte (1996).Since NASCAR switched to determining its champion over the final 10 races instead of the full season, Hendrick has won 11 of the 23 titles under the Chase or playoffs format.Last year, Larson won the title without winning a race during the playoffs, taking the championship with a third place at Phoenix Raceway after advancing through the final 10 races with an average finish of 13.25.His 2026 title run has been much stronger statistically with Larson already doubling his top-10 total in the final 10 races. Among the 16 title contenders during the Chase, Larson ranks first in every major category, including average finish, laps led and wins.